Apple held this year’s World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) keynote yesterday. This year’s keynote is noted as the final one in which Tim Cook has a presence as CEO. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most underwhelming keynotes I’ve seen while writing about these for my site.
The announcements can be summed up as:
- AI galore. Apple’s shoving “Apple Intelligence” into everything, including MacOS 27 (Golden Gate), as well as on mobile devices via a revamped Siri (now “Siri AI”).
- Apple’s listening to complaints about Liquid Glass by… not getting rid of it, but instead adding a slider to control the level of transparency. I assume the Accessibility settings will still allow undoing the worst aspects of Liquid Glass.
- Parental control features.
- The usual incremental updates.
And… that’s it. Unless you like AI, there’s not much to get excited about for this year’s keynote. While Apple’s approach toward AI has felt less aggressive than Google and Microsoft, it’s still not what I consider a welcome development. That said, it’s also a lot easier to ignore or turn off Apple’s AI features, so I hope that stays the case in MacOS 27.
The only other aspect worth paying attention to, and what I’ll cover below, is what Apple devices will still be supported in the newest versions of iOS, MacOS, and iPadOS.
iPhone and iPad models dropped by iOS 27 / iPadOS 27
Every iPhone that supports iOS 26 will also support iOS 27. As such, the oldest model supported is the iPhone 11, released back in 2019.
The same can’t be said of iPads. The oldest standard-entry iPad supported is the ninth generation iPad, released in 2021. iPad models that won’t support iPadOS 27: the eighth generation iPad; the first generation iPad Pro (11 inch); the third generation iPad Air; and the iPad Mini 5.
Mac models dropped by MacOS 27 (Golden Gate)
MacOS 27 marks the first MacOS version to no longer support Intel-based Macs. As such, the oldest models Golden Gate supports are the M1 Macs (first released in 2020). If you’re still using an Intel Mac, you’ll get security updates for the next two years; otherwise, you might want to consider a newer computer (or installing Linux).
I happen to own an M1 Mac Mini, which is currently being used as my media server. That said, it’s a six-year-old model, so I can see Apple finally dropping support for the M1 models next year (or in 2028). Given the entry level Mini now starts at $799 (thanks to computer hardware prices skyrocketing, no thanks to the AI craze), I’m not in a hurry to replace my Mini anytime soon.
Image: Apple devices. (Apple)
